The 11 Top Social Media Management Tools I Can’t Live Without

These are the 11 Top Social Media Management Tools for Business that I can’t Live Without.  

I’ve tried and tested many tools, but these are the tools that I am using right now, every week to post and engage on social media.  

Use this guide to jump in and give them a spin on the platforms you are marketing on.  

I get asked to test tools all the time and there are new tools coming out every week.

So I wanted to share with you the exact tools I am using right now as of early January, 2017.  It’s testament to many of the tools listed here that I have used them over not months, but years.

Because I am fussy. Damn fussy.

A couple of these tools are new to my list of top social media management tools, but that’s also testament to how good they are.

I’m including them in an arsenal of tools that’s already top-notch, so they have to be good, right?

My Criteria for Top Social Media Management Tools

To be included as one of my “wing-man” social media management tools, the tool has to be used regularly by me and my team.

We need to use it to manage the planning, scheduling and posting of social media content day in and day out (and engagement).

I look for the following things in top social media management tools:

1.  It should be intuitive and easy to use.  One of the first things I notice about a tool is whether I can get started without complicated instructions and videos to watch. It’s not just me that needs to use it – it’s my team members. So it has to be easy to use (with a great user interface).
2. It has to have great support.  The culture of the company and how they handle customer service is one of the first things I look for. Every tool on this list cares about their customers.
3. It should allow me to do at least two major functions really well.  I am not necessarily looking for one tool to do everything (I think that’s a pipe dream) but if it can do a few things at once, then that helps.  I don’t mind using a few tools as I batch my content creation, sharing and engagement so it is no big deal for me to switch tools. But I am on the lookout for tools that help you (my audience) do more.
4. It has to save me time.  Just about every tool on this list has saved me hours (let’s be real, it’s probably weeks and months by now). I look at my must-have tools as team members. If I had them taken away, it would feel like a hole in my business.
5. Great analytics and reporting.  When I use a tool I want to know how it is working, what’s not working and how I can improve my social media management. In-tool stats and reports really help with this.
6. It has to be affordable.  I’m lucky because I get to partner with a few of the tools I use, so I have access to many tools to test and use.  But I always keep it top of mind that small business owners don’t have the funds to pay for multiple tools, especially when most are in USD and you have to take into account exchange rates.  For some countries, that makes it doubly expensive. When I hear my community say that a tool is expensive, I sit up and listen.
7. The company has to be forward-thinking.  I like to see tool companies test and evolve.  I like it when they ask their customers about what works and doesn’t work .. and involve them in innovation.

A bonus factor I look for is that the tool is well respected by the platforms it works with.  Many of the tools on this list are partners with platforms like Instagram or Pinterest.  That says a lot.

So let’s jump in and take a look at the tools I use right now, in my business, every week.

11 Top Social Media Management Tools I Can’t Live Without

As I said, you may only need a handful of these tools to manage YOUR social media.

So to help you choose the top social media management tools for YOU, I’ve split them up into the main platforms I use them on.

Many small business owners can’t be across more than 1-3 platforms at any one time.  So while I am posting on many platforms for my business, I don’t expect you to do the same (so don’t freak out by the number of tools!).

Note:  I use some tools across multiple channels. Let’s jump in and start with an all-rounder tool that I use on just about every social platform.

The”All Rounder”

#1  Agorapulse

I’m starting off with an All Rounder tool because it is the tool I use for Social Media Engagement on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  It’s Agorapulse.

I wrote about Agorapulse here and it’s become the tool I use the most. of any of these top social media management tools.

Before using Agorapulse I used to miss so many tweets, comments and mentions.  Sigh.

Now, I am able to achieve “social inbox zero” regularly and I am much better at engaging.  You can also use Agorapulse to check comments on Facebook and Instagram ads.

Agorapulse is one of my top social media management tools for scheduling, posting and engaging and much more. I mainly use it across Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to manage my communities.   It also allows you to:

1.  Plan and schedule posts – Agorapulse lets you post to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and now Instagram (using Agorapulse to schedule and then you finish by clicking to post on your mobile),
2. Filter out spam – Agorapulse has a cool filter feature that allows you to filter out Auto DMs or spammy comments.
3. Evergreen content – re-schedule your evergreen posts in a queue (as many times as you like)
4. Awesome reports and analytics – perfect for social media managers to track what is working.
5. Discover and engage with your most valuable followers – based on how engaged they are with your content.
6. Delegate tasks amongst your team or flag content to take action on later.

…and more!  Agorapulse is competitively-priced given that it covers so many features and platforms.   They also excel at some of the criteria I mentioned before – customer service, innovation and listening to their customers.  And…. it’s slick to use.

Pinterest

#2  Tailwind

I’ve used Tailwind for a few years now and love it.  It’s my go-to Pinterest tool and I use it for:

• Scheduling pins across my boards using the queue feature (Tailwind gives you the “best times” to post). I can drag and drop my pins on a calendar and even pin content to multiple boards using the queue feature.
• Pinning from my desktop or mobile.
• Advanced Pinterest analytics that tell me the performance of my pins, including the pins being saved and re-pinned from my website.
• Ability to monitor engagement and conversations around Pins.
• Easy Content Discovery Tools that ensure I always have enough content to pin … even when I am asleep.

It’s my all-in-one Pinterest Tool and I literally couldn’t live without it.

HOT NEWS:  Tailwind now has an Instagram tool. I am only just testing it out but it looks great so far. Tailwind just gets better!

Twitter

#3  Meet Edgar (and an affordable alternative)

I have been using a tool called Meet Edgar for a couple of years now. I mainly use it for most of my Twitter Scheduling because I wanted to be able to re-post quality content thoughout the day.

Edgar helps me to organise my tweets into “buckets” of content, posted at specific times. You can also use it for Facebook and LinkedIn.  Basically, Edgar allows you to post rotated evergreen content within categories to a schedule, 24/7.

Using this tool, I always have content to share.  I never run out of content and old content gets new legs.

I wrote about Edgar here as one of my top social media management tools two years ago, when it launched.

But…. as much as I love Meet Edgar and all of its features, there’s one major “con” to this tool.  Edgar is a little expensive for a lot of my readers, especially now that the price has jumped from $49 per month to $79 per month.

So I wanted to search for an alternative for you.  Until now, there hasn’t been a viable alternative that would allow you to schedule recycled posts within categories via specific time slots.   Most of the scheduling tools were based on a single queue function (where all content goes into one bucket) for evergreen content.

What’s the alternative?  Right now, as I write this, I am testing out a new tool as a viable replacement for Edgar.. it’s the first tool I’ve seen that provides category-based queued posting to rival Edgar. 

#4  ViralTag

You may know ViralTag as a leading Social Media Marketing Tool for sharing visuals.  Definitely check them out for their scheduling features and analytics across LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

But this post is about the tools I am using right now – right now I am trialling ViralTag’s functionality as it compares to Edgar.  So far I am liking it and I think it will be a great option for small businesses that can’t afford Edgar.

Viraltag lets you create categories, add content and then schedule content within those categories.  It also allows you to add an “evergreen’ feature so certain content will only continue to post within specified category time slots if you add this feature.

This is where Viraltag begins to do what Edgar does… it’s just a slightly different way of getting there.

Need an affordable “Edgar”?  Then check out Viral Tag.

Note:  Edgar and VirtalTag are for scheduling and posting.  I use Agorapulse to check and engage with tweets, mentions and messages on Twitter.    

Instagram

#5  Later

I’ve used Later for a couple of years now. Before using Later, my Instagram posts were very ad hoc.  That was before… this is “Later”.

It’s now one of my top social media management tools.

I still like to post spontaneously on Instagram, but to keep my sanity and get work done, I do plan ahead and schedule most of my posts first in Later.

Later gives me a notification and then I just have to click a couple of times and post from my Instagram app around the time I have scheduled.  Sometimes I do it immediately, sometimes I get to it when I can.

There are plenty of tools that allow you to click to post but I use Later for a few key reasons:

• they’re a well-established tool with a great reputation and they focus purely on Instagram.
• Later has a fun user interface and you can easily switch between Instagram accounts
• they have a HUGE following on Instagram (they are walking the talk all over their gorgeous feed!).
• a cool “Link in Bio” feature where you can send people to a special landing page where followers can click on any image and go to whatever link you allocate.  No more invalid links.
• They have a cool planning feature so you can move images around plan your grid.
• Bulk post features, with drag and drop functionality so you can add images to pre-determined time-slots that you know will attract engagement.
• one of my favourite features – a library of saved Hashtag Groups. You can save hashtags in groups so it’s SUPER easy to add a description and instantly choose up to 30 hashtags that are relevant to each post.  This feature alone is saving me HOURS!
• The team at Later is always adding new features. They definitely fit in to the “innovative” company criteria that I look for in tools. 

Note:  Other tools that have also introduced click to post functions include Agorapulse, Viraltag and now Tailwind and Hootsuite.

They all work in a similar way, so If you are a small business using these tools and need to watch your budget, then it might be worth using the tool you are already using.

A word about auto-posting on Instagram…

I don’t advocate the use of any tools that contravene Instagram’s terms of service. For that reason, I choose to use an Instagram partner tool like Later.  

It also means that I will not use a tool that auto-schedules.  It’s not worth my account getting shut down and if you are managing client or employer accounts (or your own) you’d be wise to do the same.  

And besides, if you click to post on the Instagram app, you’re ready and primed to respond to comments – something you would likely miss if it were all automated. 

#6  Tack

Tack is new to my kit bag of tools.  I love it and I don’t think I’ll be letting it go anytime soon.

I do a lot of speaking and training in the tourism industry and this tool is a well-needed game changer when it comes to harnessing the power of user-generated content … in the right way.

Tack covers off on one of the biggest issues with content sharing on Instagram:  Permission. 

Instagram has no “native” sharing functionality so we rely on repost apps or tagging… often without true “permission” to repost.

Yes, most Instagrammers are fine with it, but it’s always best practice to ask…and tag and give credit as well.

A lot of organisations, tourism destinations and brands share content based on content being shared under a specific and targeted hashtag.

Unfortunately, hashtags don’t strictly imply “permission”. That’s where Tacksteps in.

This tool helps you to find great content (via hashtags and usernames) and then you can quickly and easily ask for permission via the app.

The permission is recorded in the app and stored in a library of media approvals. The confirmation also appears on the comments of the post in question.

It’s brilliant. It’s super simple to use, and it’s a game changer for finding and using user generated content.

I have used Tack in our Visual Challenges that we run from time to time in my free Facebook Group – to find and share content.  I will be using it a LOT more this year to find and share GREAT content from this community and with my clients. 

Note:  Later is for scheduling and posting.  I use Agorapulse to check and engage with comments on Instagram but you can also use Tack to respond to comments on your Instagram posts too.  Instagram only allows you to see 50 comments… but by using one of these tools, you can respond to more than 50! 

Facebook

#7  Post Planner

If you’ve been part of my community for a while then you’ll know that Post Planner is a no-brainer for me to mention, so I had to include it in my list of top social media management tools.

Post Planner has been helping me to find, plan and post awesome content on Facebook for a few years now.

I use Post Planner in two main ways:

1  Finding PROVEN content that is already getting great reach on Facebook.

Post Planner shows you the content that is getting shared most from Instagram, Facebook, Twitter… from profiles, pages and websites.  It’s like a treasure trove of content to choose from.

You can find images to share on your own feed (because if it’s already getting shared well, then it’s likely it will get good reach on your page too).

I also use it for inspiration – ideas, thoughts, quotes that I can use when creating my own content (not copied, just inspired!).

2  Posting and Scheduling content 

Post Planner helps you to find, plan and post content to Facebook and Twitter.  You can also use their Pin it integration to post photos to Pinterest.

You can also add content sources from Instagram (though again, make sure you have permission if it is not your own content you are sharing).  See #6.

Post Planner has a cool queue function for sharing posts or images on an evergreen basis. It’s not the same as Edgar or Viraltag (see above) but it’s a handy feature to use for your posts that you want to share more than once.

#8  Facebook Scheduling Tool

You can’t go past using Facebook for Facebook.  I know that there have been many discussions over the years re whether Facebook favours native content that isn’t posted with a 3rd party app… who can keep up?

But I can say that I see good results when using this tool, so don’t discount it. It can be a great way to work in teams if you don’t have the funds for expensive tools. Your admins can schedule and check posts.  Here’s how it looks when you schedule a post.

Just enter your post details, text and image and then click the drop down menu on the RHS to schedule the post:  A new window will open up and it’s easy to choose the publish date and time.

A cool feature is that you can also choose whether to remove the post from circulation on your newsfeed after a certain time. This could be handy for promotions or seasonal posts.

Once you have your posts scheduled, you can check them any time by clicking the link to your scheduled posts at the top of your Facebook Page Newsfeed.

This is what I love about the scheduler… if you or your team are working in Facebook anyway, it’s easy to use. And you can have an admin or team member check posts before they are published.

Note:  You can use Edgar or Agorapulse or Viraltag to schedule your posts to Facebook in addition to Post Planner and the Facebook Scheduler.  I use Agorapulse to check and engage with comments from Facebook as well as any comments from Facebook Ads.  

Blog

I’m adding my top social media management tools for my blog here as my blog is the engine room of my social media marketing.

All great content for my business starts on my blog, and there are a few key tools that help me to plan and schedule and engage with content on my blog.

#9  Yoast

Yoast is a WordPress plugin that is my crutch when it comes to sharing content on my blog. It helps me to set everything up right – so that content can be shared efficiently.

Yoast is great for doing “SEO” even if you have no idea what it is. It guides you through the process for each post or page of your website.  \But it also shines in terms of how to set your post content up (including images) so it is ready to be shared across social platforms by readers.

But it also helps you to add images to your blog posts in the right way so that they can be easily shared across social platforms by readers.

For instance, it will help you to add the right size Facebook image to be shared.  Now your post will  look great on Facebook with an eye-catching image for sharing.

I wrote about it in more detail in this post, so be sure to check it out.

#10  Social Warfare

Social Warfare is my go-to sharing tool for helping my content get shared to social media.

It’s super sleek, with attractive designs and has some of the best sharing buttons around.

This post shows you some ways in which Social Warfare will rock your world and bring you more shares of your content!

#11   Disqus

Once your post is shared, you need to engage with it.  Disqus is my tool of choice for being able to handle blog comments. I’ve been using it since my blog started.

That’s a Wrap

These are the top social media management tools that I use every week at the moment in my business.

They may change. New ones may come on board.

The tools I use sometimes branch out and perform more functions or (gasp!) a tool I that I love occasionally starts to “drop” in quality. It could be functionality, customer service or any of the above factors that I look for in top social media management tools.

I’ll always be searching for better ways to do this, so if I repeat this post in 12 months time, there will be tools I still use, or maybe use differently, with some new tools thrown in.

What’s important is that you find the right tool for YOU!  It’s my job to test tools for my audience, so I’ll naturally be using more than most businesses will.

But I think this group of tools provides you with some great options, even if you only use one or two of them.

Enjoy testing them out!

Over to You

Do you use any of these top social media management tools?

What are your top social media management tools and how do you combine them?

Let me know in the comments below.

By Donna Morritz
Article Source: http://sociallysorted.com.au/top-social-media-management-tools/

How to Create an Expert-Fueled Post That Can Start the Viral Effect

Are you fed up of hearing ways to transform your blog that just don’t deliver?

You build list posts, you use the SkyScraper Technique, you even dabble in a bit of blogger outreach.

But still… Nothing!

This is a similar problem for most new bloggers. Getting traction for a new blog can feel like the impossible task at times.

Google doesn’t want to send you easy traffic, social media sites are tightening the organic reach and your guest posting pitches are falling on deaf ears.

It’s time to push all these tactics to the side and focus on a certain type of post that will send you copious amounts of traffic.

Introducing the Expert-Fueled Post Type!

What The Hell Is The Expert-Fueled Post Type?

The Expert-Fueled Post is a type of content you can create that is designed to bring an explosive amount of shares. It combines a high-quality article (check out the Skyscraper Technique by Brian Dean) and an expert roundup.

Why does it work?

Simply because you are giving the article some substance, most roundup posts are long lists of expert tips. These can be good on their own but can be a struggle for folk to read the whole article.

A skyscraper piece of content is an epic piece that beats the top search results in every way possible. It is the best piece of content there is on the topic.

When you add these two together you great results because you provide an immense amount of value!

Why does this work?

You have taken an epic piece of content that could shine as a post on its own and given it some social proof in the style of an expert roundup.

Can you see the power these can bring?

Choosing A Topic That Your Readers Want

Any good blog post starts with a proven topic. You can write like a world class author but if nobody is interested in what you say… your post will flop!

It is simple to work out what your audience is looking for, you simply ask them. Look at your most popular posts and look out for any unanswered questions in the comments.

People fail to write for the people that can take there blog from nobody to superstar and this is why the traction never gets going.

Your audience will only get you so far, to really jump ahead you need to write for people who want to share your content or that will link to your content.

Head over to Buzzsumo, enter the URL of one of your competitors. This will display the content that has performed the best for them.

This is content that has proved itself! People have shared it like crazy.

Do this for 10-20 of your competitors and you will get a good idea of what people are sharing.

Once you have a topic that stands out and that has proven itself time and time again you have found your topic.

Creating The Best Content That Exists

The next job is to create the backbone of your post. Think of the human body, we have our core muscles, if any of these are tight, weak or imbalanced, we will see problems in our limbs.

Having said that if we were only our core, we wouldn’t really function!

Your high-quality post part is the same, you need to make it your core. It should be strong and ready to support the rest of your post.

Head over to Google and look at the top 5 results for your topic. What are their posts like?

More importantly, what do they lack?

If it is a list then you could simply make it a bigger list. If there are a lot of questions in the comments then you need to add that into your content.

Do they use images? An image speaks a thousand words get one in there!

Would a video demonstration make it a bit clearer?

You are trying to stand out from the crowd here and create a piece of content that is a lot harder to beat.

Remember Google wants to show the best results to their users, make sure it is yours!

Choosing The Experts To Help Your Post Shine

Once you have created that rock solid piece of content it is time to give it arms and legs, so that it can function.

You are arming your post with social proof which will encourage your audience to take action. When they see their favourite bloggers they are more inclined to comment, subscribe and share the post.

The beauty of this type of post is that you are providing mini roundups. So if you have 10 subtopics within your article, then this would be 10 mini roundups.

Next, you have to convert each of your subtopics into a question. So if you have an article that shows your audience how to lose weight, then your subtopics may be…

• Track your intake
• Increase Protein
• Drink More Water

Your job is to change each of these into a question…

• What is your best tip for people tracking their intake?
• How can someone increase the protein in their diets?
• What benefits do you get from drinking 2 L of water per day?

Now find 5-10 experts that have written about your subtopics or your general topic and add them to a spreadsheet. You want to do this for each question, that means you will have around 50 experts, give or take a few.

It really isn’t hard to fiind these people, a quick twitter search could be enough. Your list of competitors might give you enough, just fill out the spreadsheet until you have enough experts. More than 10 per question is a bit of an overkill, so I would stay below 10.

Once you have listed them, you need to find a way to contact them… can you find their email, do they respond on twitter, or do they have a contact form.

Once you have a way to contact them, send them one question each. These people are too busy to answer a whole interview. Most will be more than happy to answer a really easy question though.

Once you have all your answers back it is time to put it into your post.

Putting Your Post Together

You have two assets already a high-quality article that is epic on its own. It should be able to survive as a blog post on its own.

You also have a list of experts that have contributed their point of view about each of the topics. You could publish an expert roundup list post with these and still do ok.

Let’s stick them both in the content marketing blender and create our Expert Fuelled post.

I like to inject the roundups using two methods.

The typical list method that basically adds a mini expert roundup to the end of each subtopic in your blog post. However, if an expert has given you proof and statistics you could quote this in the article and include the proof.

Both work really well!

If you choose to quote the answer then make sure you work it in. Only using a partial bit of the answer will just make the expert feel like they aren’t getting the bang for their buck. I mean, they took their time to construct the answer.

You have to be clever about the quote and make sure it still provides value to the contributing expert. If this is your first time doing this then listing a mini roundup at the end of the subtopic might be a better option.

Get The Word Out There And Bring The Masses

Once you have your finished article it is time to get it out there and let the world see your hard work. I always start with the easiest methods first because I can get easy traction.

When you delve into the more complicated methods the initial traction will act as more social proof for your article.

First task should be to email each of the experts and tell them that your post is live. Thank them and give them the link. I would also include a Click To Tweet link. This makes it easy for the busy expert to share your new post straightaway.

If you have a relationship with the expert you could also say something like…

If your audience would love this click here to tweet the post, if you have resource page that this post might fit into, would you consider adding it?

This has led to me getting links on high authority sites just from adding this sentence into the email.

There is still people that want to know about your new post. It is time to tell your existing audience by posting on all your social media profiles. If you really want to expand your reach simply tag the experts that you featured on your post.

This will encourage them to share or comment on the post but it also allows their fans to see your post too.

I will also email my subscribers telling them about the new post. You should also paste a click to tweet link here to encourage them to share the post.

These are simple methods that can get the ball rolling.

To really impress the people featured and to ensure they get some traffic you should consider using the boost feature of Facebook Ads. It is a cheap way to expand the reach of your Facebook post even further.

There are a lot of other things you can do and I suggest you check out my post that will show you 17 ways to drive traffic to your blog. Having said this, these tips alone can really get the ball rolling.

Over To You

I hope I have got you excited to try this post type out as it really can deliver outstanding results. If you are a new blogger this on its own can get your first few hundred visitors for your post.

Don’t think you have to create a new piece of content every time. If you have a top performing piece of content you can try adding a mini roundup to beef it up and give it some sharing currency.

The worst thing you can do is leave the Expert Fuelled Post out of your strategy, so take action and give it a try.

What have you got to lose?

By Joe Elliot

Article Source: http://www.bloggingpro.com/archives/2017/01/16/create-an-expert-fueled-post-viral-effect/